What Happened on August 20, 2023 in the Cyberpunk Realm? – Answered

While there are many significant events in Cyberpunk 2077 story, we are approaching the real-world anniversary of one of the major plot points in both the games and tabletop RPG. The events of August 20, 2023, signify a dark part of Cyberpunk’s history and one of Johnny Silverhand’s most essential moments. So what happened on August 20, 2023, in Cyberpunk’s universe?

What happened on August 20th 2023, in Cyberpunk

There have been many corporate wars during Cyberpunk’s history; the fourth corporate war saw a significant event shake the foundations of Night City. On August 20, 2023, a Militech team led by Morgan Blackhand and Johnny Silverhand infiltrated the Arasaka tower in Night City. These events play out inside Cyberpunk 2077 during the mission Love Like Fire, which sees players take control of Johnny Silverhand during the events of the Night City Holocaust.

During the events of the game, Johnny Silverhand uses a gunship to assault the Arisaka HQ, firing at the rooftop full of corporate troops before landing and entering the building. Their goal is to rescue Alt Cunningham, who is being held in the building, and destroy a project known as Soulkiller 3.0

Related: Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty gameplay trailer shows off reworks and new toys (Via PC Invasion)

During the assault, a nuclear weapon was detonated within Arisaka HQ but devastated buildings and much of the surrounding area. The detonation’s cause proved to be controversial, with Arisaka claiming that Militech detonated a bomb in their facilities. In contrast, Militech claimed that Arasaka had employed a defensive shot to prevent Militech from acquiring Arasaka technology.

The official death toll of the blast is uncertain, with most of the casualties coming from the subsequent fire storms and earthquakes caused by the explosion. Eventually, Night City recovered and rebuilt, but the effects of the explosion have never been forgotten.

If you’re planning on jumping back into Cyberpunk 2077 for Phantom Liberty, why not find out if you need to beat the whole game before you can enjoy the DLC?